This invention relates to automated banking machines. Specifically this invention relates to an automated banking machine apparatus and system that is capable of use in a wide area network, which provides a user with a familiar interface from their home institution at banking machines operated by other institutions, and which provides greater options for machine outputs.
Automated banking machines are well known. A common type of automated banking machine used by consumers is an automated teller machine (xe2x80x9cATMxe2x80x9d). ATMs enable customers to carry out banking transactions. Common banking transactions that may be carried out with ATMs include the dispensing of cash, the making of deposits, the transfer of funds between accounts, the payment of bills and account balance inquiries. The type of banking transactions a customer can carry out are determined by capabilities of the particular banking machine and the programming of the institution operating the machine. Other types of automated banking machines may allow customers to charge against accounts or to transfer funds. Other types of automated banking machines may print or dispense items of value such as coupons, tickets, wagering slips, vouchers, checks, food stamps, money orders, scrip or travelers checks. For purposes of this disclosure an automated banking machine or automated transaction machine shall encompass any device which carries out transactions including transfers of value.
Currently ATMs are operated in proprietary communications networks. These networks interconnect ATMs operated by financial institutions and other entities. The interconnection of the networks often enables a user to use a banking machine operated by another institution if the foreign institution""s banking machine is interconnected with the network that includes the user""s institution. However when the customer operates the foreign institution""s machine the customer must operate the machine using the customer interface that has been established by the foreign institution for its banking machines. In addition the user is limited to the transaction options provided by the foreign institution.
A customer may encounter difficulties when using a foreign institution""s machine. Problems may occur because the user is not familiar with the type of machine operated by the foreign institution. Confusion may result because the customer does not know which buttons or other mechanisms to actuate to accomplish the desired transactions. The transaction flow for a customer at a foreign institution machine may be significantly different from machines operated by the user""s home institution. This may be particularly a problem when the user is from another country and is not familiar with the type of banking machine or the language of the interface provided by the foreign institution. Likewise, the documents which are printed by printers in an automated banking machine are generally limited to a limited group of defined formats in a single language.
A foreign institution may also provide different types of transactions than the user is familiar with at their home institution. For example the user""s home institution may enable the transfer of finds between accounts through their automated banking machines, to enable the user to maintain funds in higher interest bearing accounts until they are needed. If the foreign institution does not provide this capability, the user will be unable to do this when operating the foreign machine. The inability of a user at a foreign machine to conduct the transactions that they are accustomed to may present problems.
The networks that operate automated teller machines and other types of automated banking machines generally operate proprietary networks to which access is restricted. This is necessary to prevent fraud or tampering with the network or user""s accounts. Proprietary networks are also generally used for the transmission of credit card messages and other financial transaction messages. Access to such credit card processing systems is also restricted primarily for purposes of maintaining security.
Communication over wide area networks enables messages to be communicated between distant locations. The best known wide area network is the Internet which can be used to provide communication between computers throughout the world. The Internet is not widely used for financial transaction messages because it is not a secure system. Messages intended for receipt at a particular computer address may be intercepted at other addresses without detection. Because the messages may be intercepted at locations that are distant in the world from the intended recipient, there is potential for fraud and corruption.
Companies are beginning to provide approaches for more secure transmission of messages on the Internet. Encryption techniques are also being applied to Internet messages. However the openness of the Internet has limited its usefulness for purposes of financial messages, particularly financial messages associated with the operation of automated banking machines.
Messages in wide area networks may be communicated using the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet protocol (xe2x80x9cTCP/IPxe2x80x9d). U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,422 shows an example of a system in which financial information stored in databases is accessed through a private wide area network using TCP/IP messages. The messages transmitted in such networks which use TCP/IP may include xe2x80x9cdocumentsxe2x80x9d (also called xe2x80x9cpagesxe2x80x9d). Such documents are produced in Hypertext Markup Language (xe2x80x9cHTMLxe2x80x9d) which is a reference to a type of programming language used to produce documents with commands or xe2x80x9ctagsxe2x80x9d therein. The tags are codes which define features and/or operations of the document such as fonts, layout, imbedded graphics and hypertext links. HTML documents are processed or read through use of a computer program referred to as a xe2x80x9cbrowserxe2x80x9d. The tags tell the browser how to process and control what is seen on a screen and/or is heard on speakers connected to the computer running the browser when the document is processed. HTML documents may be transmitted over a network through the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (xe2x80x9cHTTPxe2x80x9d). The term xe2x80x9cHypertextxe2x80x9d is a reference to the ability to embed links into the text of a document that allow communication to other documents which can be accessed in the network.
Thus there exists a need for an automated banking machine and system that can be used in a wide area network such as the Internet while providing a high level of security. There further exists a need for an automated banking machine and system which provides a user with the familiar interface and transaction options of their home institution when operating foreign institution machines. There further exists a need for a machine which may provide more transaction options and types of promotional and printed materials to users.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine at which a user may conduct transactions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine that may be operated through connection to a wide area network.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine and system that provides a user with a familiar interface and transaction options of their home institution at machines operated by foreign institutions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine that communicates using HTML documents and TCP/IP messages.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine that enables the connection of the banking machine to a user""s home institution through HTML documents and TCP/IP messages generated responsive to indicia on a card input by a user.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine and system that accomplishes transactions over a wide area network while maintaining a high level of security.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine and system that controls connection of the banking machine to foreign addresses through a proxy server.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine that limits the operation of devices in the machine through a local device server.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine and system that is operable through connection to the Internet.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine that may be used to provide a user with more types of messages including messages targeted to particular users.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine which is capable of providing users with a wider variety of printed documents.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine which provides additional options for identifying authorized users.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine that can be used in connection with existing transaction systems while providing enhanced functionality.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine which provides enhanced diagnostic and service capabilities.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated banking machine which performs transactions at a rapid pace.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide improved systems in which automated banking machines are used.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide improved methods of operation for automated banking machines and systems.
Further objects of the present invention will be made apparent in the following Best Modes for Carrying Out Invention and the appended Claims.
The foregoing objects are accomplished in a preferred embodiment of the invention by an automated banking machine that includes an output device such as a display screen, and an input device such as a touch screen or a keyboard. The banking machine further includes devices such as a dispenser mechanism for sheets of currency, a printer mechanism, a card reader/writer, a depository mechanism and other physical transaction function devices that are used by the machine to accomplish banking transactions.
The banking machine further includes a computer. The computer is in operative connection with the output devices and the input devices, as well as with the sheet dispenser mechanism, card reader and other physical transaction function devices in the banking machine. The computer includes software programs that are executable therein. The software programs include an HTML document handling portion. The HTML document handling portion operates to send and receive HTML documents and HTTP messages. The HTML document handling portion is preferably in connection with the output device to display screens including hypertext link indicators. The HTML document handling portion is also preferably in connection with the input device which enables user selection and the generation of response messages from the computer. The HTML document handling portion preferably operates in connection with a JAVA software environment and has the capability of executing instructions in JAVA script transmitted with HTML documents.
The software in the computer further preferably includes a device application portion. The device application portion includes software that is operative to control the sheet dispenser and other devices. In the preferred form of the invention the device application portion includes a plurality of JAVA applets for operating the devices in the machine.
The computer in the automated banking machine further includes a device interfacing software portion. The device interfacing software portion operates to receive messages from the device application portion and to cause the devices to operate through appropriate hardware interfaces. In one preferred form of the automated banking machine, the HTML document handling portion, device application portion and device interfacing software portion each reside on the same computer and communicate at different IP ports.
The automated banking machine of the invention in one configuration communicates using TCP/IP messages in an intranet which includes a plurality of such machines. The intranet is in turn connected to at least one computer which is operated by a home institution. The home institution is the entity that operates the banking machines.
The computer of the home institution preferably includes a home HTTP server, a proxy server and a device server. The proxy server communicates through the intranet with the HTML document handling portion of the software in each of the banking machines. The proxy server is also connectable to a wide area network, such as the Internet, to which foreign servers are connected. The device server is operative to pass messages between the device application portion and the device interfacing software portion of the banking machines. The device server may include monitor software which monitors and selectively limits the use and operation of the devices in the banking machine. This provides a level of security.
The automated banking machine and system is operative to place a user in connection with the institution where they have their accounts. This can be either the home institution that operates the banking machine where the user is present, or a foreign institution which is connected to the wide area network. To operate the banking machine a user provides inputs which correspond to an address, such as a URL address, through an address input device. The HTML document handling portion operates to connect the banking machine to the server corresponding to that address. This is preferably accomplished by the user having indicia representative of the address on a card that is read by a card reader in the banking machine, or other input device which identifies the user or an institution or entity with which the user has accounts.
The HTML document handling portion is responsive to the address on the card or other input data to connect through the proxy server to the user""s institution. If the user""s home institution address corresponds to the home server, the banking machine operates responsive to messages from the home server. If however the user""s input address corresponds to an address of a foreign server, the proxy server is operative to communicate through the wide area network with the foreign server at the customer""s home institution. If the customer causes the machine to connect a server operated by a foreign institution, the HTML documents sent from the foreign institution correspond to those normally provided by the foreign institution. As a result the customer is familiar with the interface produced by these documents and will be able to more readily operate the banking machine.
The foreign server or home server operate the banking machine by sending HTML documents that include instructions for operating the devices in the banking machine. The instructions are transmitted from the HTML document handling portion to the device application portion of the software, which operates the devices in response to the instructions. The instructions from the device application portion to the devices in the automated banking machine are passed through the device server of the home institution. This helps to maintain security. In addition, the proxy server includes screening software which limits the foreign servers which may connect to and operate the banking machine. This is referred to as a xe2x80x9cfire wall.xe2x80x9d
Embodiments of the present invention also provide enhanced user interfaces and for the printing of a wide variety of documents with the banking machine. The invention also enables achieving enhanced functionality while utilizing existing transaction networks and automated transaction machines.